Meaning: Its source is Kynthia, a Greek name meaning "From Mount Kynthos."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Dutch and English.

Nicknames: Cindy, Cyndi and Cyndee

Compound Forms: Diantha

Alternative Spellings: Cinthia, Cinthya, Synthia and Cynthea

Variant Forms: Cinthyia, Cintia, Cythia, Sindia, Syndia, Cinthie, Lacyndora, Cyntha, Cintha, Syntha and Sinthia

Non-English Forms: Cinzia

Source Forms: Kynthia

Popularity: The name Cynthia ranked 175th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 28th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists before 1993, but is becoming less commonly used. In some cases, it has fallen off the lists altogether.

Narrative: This name originated as a descriptive phrase applied to the ancient Greek goddess Artemis (known to the Romans as Diana. The original meaning of the Greek mountain's name has been lost.

Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), an unmarried monarch, was often compared to Artemis, who was the goddess of chastity as well as the moon. In many high-flown works of Elizabethan poetry, praises for Cynthia's goodness and purity were understood as oblique references to the virtues of the Virgin Queen.